Middle School
Middle School is an essential training ground for success in high school and college, but not so far removed from childhood as many believe. Our Middle School students are met with increasing academic challenges while also being given plenty of time for rest and play.
In sixth grade our students transition to a schedule similar to what they will follow throughout Upper School, with a stronger emphasis on independent work and original thought. Students will build off of the grammar and composition skills learned in Lower School to build good arguments written with style and accuracy. They will study algebra, and build strong scientific foundations in physical science, biology, and earth science through working in our school garden. Students will also begin to read primary source great texts across a variety of genres and styles and participate in Socratic discussions.
Middle School students will also have increased freedom to focus on meaningful intracurricular activity throughout their normal school week, including fine art projects, choir, sport teams, and student clubs. They are also invited to audition for plays with our Upper School theater program, The Saint Genesius Players.
MIDDLE SCHOOL PARTIAL BOOK LIST: A SAMPLE OF WHAT WE READIn Middle School, students are introduced to an array of literature, history, and philosophy in their integrated humanities courses. Socratic discussion becomes a much more significant part of their education as they practice expressing original thoughts and ideas.
- Bulfinch’s Mythology
- Tao Te Ching
- Theogony
- Euthyphro
- Crito
- Apology
- Phaedo
- Poetics
- Julius Caesar
- Midsummer’s Night Dream
- Romeo and Juliet
- Little Women
- Poetry of William Wordsworth
- Poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins
- Poetry of Alfred Lord Tennyson
- Huckleberry Finn
- All Quiet on the Western Front
- The Once and Future King
- The Chronicles of Narnia
- The Hobbit
- The Lord of the Rings
- Mere Christianity